


Hide and Seek

by Doteruna



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: F/M, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Gwaine Being Gwaine, Hide and Seek, IDK I think they'd be cute together, Kid Arthur, Kid Fic, Kid Merlin, M/M, Minor Lancelot/Hunith, Playing, Pre-Canon, Protective Gwaine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-02
Updated: 2016-11-02
Packaged: 2018-08-28 15:10:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8451250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Doteruna/pseuds/Doteruna
Summary: Seven-year-old Arthur doesn't have any friends in Camelot, so he frequently visits Merlin in Ealdor. What if the knights follow him?





	

**Author's Note:**

> It's two am and I haven't had enough coffee for this shit here ya go

“I’ll be the prince, and you can be the king!” Merlin shouted, pushing a stick into Arthur’s hand. “This is your sword!”

 

Arthur blinked at the knobby branch in his fingers with distaste. 

 

“No, I don’t want to. Let’s play tag instead.”

 

Merlin looked at him strangely for a second, then shrugged and dropped his own stick, tapping Arthur’s shoulder and then taking off, laughing. Arthur grinned and followed him as fast as his seven-year-old legs could carry him, chasing his friend. They were in Ealdor, only about an hour’s ride from Camelot, but a difficult ride through a rough forest. Arthur had been brought through the area a few years ago after a kidnapping, the enemy soldiers making it as far as Ealdor before the knights caught up to them. The soldiers had been waylaid by a sweet-looking mother with a determined look on her face, standing in the middle of the dirt road with one hand on her hip and the other brandishing a wooden ladle like it was a broadsword, demanding to know where they were taking the struggling four-year-old. The soldiers pushed past her but only made it ten minutes out of town before the knights caught up, rescuing Arthur. The young prince had wanted to go back and thank the woman who had distracted the enemies long enough for his father’s knights to rescue him, but Leon had refused, stubbornly wanting to get Arthur back to Camelot as fast as possible. 

 

Several weeks later, after Uther stopped being overbearing and watching every twitch Arthur made, he was able to sneak out of the castle and spent three hours lost in the forest on the way to Ealdor. When he finally made it to the small village, it was dark, and he wandered around until the same woman found him and brought him to her home. 

 

“It’s too dark for you to walk home now anyways, dear,” she’d said, wrapping him in a thin blanket and depositing him on a small cot in the corner of the one-room home. “My son, Merlin, is about your age; I think you’ll get along fine. He’s out getting some firewood right now, he should be home soon. You’ll spend the night here and go home in the morning, all right?” 

 

A few minutes later, a truly tiny boy with a shock of unruly black hair and the largest blue eyes Arthur had ever seen stumbled through the door, his skinny arms wrapped tightly around a single piece of firewood. Hunith showered him with compliments of how strong he was and kissed him on the nose before directing him towards Arthur, and Merlin’s smile went from big to enormous. He threw himself onto the cot and dug his small feet under the blankets until they touched Arthur’s. 

 

“Wow, your feet are really cold! Mine are too, can we share the blanket? What’s your name? I’m Merlin! I’m four, how old are you?”

 

Arthur explained that he was four, but almost five, yes, they could share the blanket, and no, Merlin, you can’t touch my hair, I just got it washed yesterday.   
Arthur’s prattish attitude didn’t seem to phase Merlin one bit, and when Hunith slipped off her apron and changed into a sleeping tunic, Arthur and Merlin hid under the blanket and giggled as they shoved their cold toes into each other’s legs. Hunith climbed into the bed with them and Arthur froze, but Merlin just snuggled up close to his mother, one hand stretched out to pull Arthur to them as well. 

 

“It gets cold at night, and we only have a few blankets, so we sleep next to each other to stay warm,” the younger boy explained. “Well, there’s only one bed so we have to anyways. Come here, your toes are still cold.”

 

Arthur thought that he would hate sleeping in the same rickety bed as Merlin and Hunith, but when the blanket slipped too far over his shoulders, Hunith wrapped her arm around both younger boys and fell asleep; Arthur laid awake for another hour, amazed at the lengths Hunith was going for a strange boy. Having a mother’s arms around him was a new feeling for him, but as the night wore on, he decided that he quite liked the feeling. He slept more soundly than he had in a long time. 

 

Hunith had sent Arthur home the next morning, assuming he lived in one of the neighboring villages, but Arthur continued to sneak away from Camelot every few weeks to spend either a day or night at Merlin’s. After a few trips, he wised up; Uther noticed when he was gone and tried to stick guards to him, but Arthur was small and fast and smart, even for a five year old. He began to wait for Uther to leave on hunting trips or political visits, spending a few days at a time at Hunith’s. He would bring flour and sugar with him, knowing that Hunith was struggling to feed her and Merlin, let alone a healthy, growing boy like Arthur. The servants and knights of the castle noticed, of course, but the servants never had reason to tell Uther and the knights stopped worrying after the third trip. 

 

This went on for years, until one day, Merlin fell into a deep ravine in the forest where they were playing. He wasn’t hurt other than a few cuts and bruises, but he was crying and couldn’t climb back up the rocks because he cut his palm. Arthur ended up throwing himself off the edge of the ravine in his desperation to save his friend from even the smallest danger. He too suffered only some scrapes, being made of sturdier stuff than the woefully thin Merlin, but when he trekked home that evening, Sir Leon had seen him and raised the alarm. Nothing happened, but Arthur knew he had to wait a little longer to visit his only friend. He waited for over two weeks before daring to make his hike again.

 

“MERlin, you’re too slow! How are you supposed to catch me?” Arthur called over his shoulder as Merlin put his hands on his knobby knees, wheezing. 

 

“I’m trying, you’re faster than me. Why did I agree to play tag with you? You always win.” Merlin didn’t pout, but it was a close thing. “Let’s play hide instead. You hide first, I’ll wait.” Merlin slapped a hand over his eyes and Arthur took off, pushing himself underneath a small box beside the blacksmith’s shop. After a few moments, he heard the stomping of horse hooves and the patter of Merlin’s feet. The boy shot by him to the pile of old wooden crates a few feet away, practically burrowing himself underneath the pallets as fast as he could. 

 

“Merlin, what are you doing? I’m supposed to be the one who hides,” Arthur chided him, standing up and dusting off his knees. “How about I--wait, are you alright? What happened?” 

 

Merlin’s eyes were wide with fear, his fingers clapped over his mouth to stifle his harsh breathing. 

 

“T-There’s horses...and k-knights--” he stammered out, and Arthur’s heart sank. They must be looking for him. 

 

“It’s okay, Merlin,” he tried to console his friend. “Come on out.”

 

“No, they’re here for me! They’ll kill me!” Merlin whispered frantically, and Arthur froze. What? “They must have found out; someone must have seen me! Arthur, help me!” 

 

“Merlin, what are you talking about? They wouldn’t k--”

 

Arthur was cut off as a large hand grabbed the back of his tunic, letting out an ‘eep’ as Gwaine lifted him into the air with a smile on his tanned face. 

 

“Found him, Leon,” the knight called over his shoulder, and the rest of the men filed into the small alleyway. “Princess, what are you doing all the way out here?”

 

“Gwaine, put me down!” Arthur growled, swiping at Gwaine. The man just laughed as Arthur’s short arms came nowhere close to his face and dropped him back down to the ground, then ducked his head when Leon gave him a disapproving look. The new position allowed him to see Merlin, who tried to tuck himself further underneath the crates with a gasp. 

 

“Why hello, little one,” Gwaine said, crouching down and flashing a winning smile at the boy. “Are you the one Arthur’s been sneaking off to see?” 

 

Merlin didn’t answer, just stared out from his hiding place at the five men that were all staring back. Arthur climbed to his feet and ran to his friend, shielding him from the knights. 

 

“It’s not his fault! I don’t have any friends in Camelot and his mother is really nice and he lets me play with him and he never tells me to leave, and he doesn’t treat me differently because I’m a prince and neither does Hunith so I want to stay here! Please don’t take me back, I don’t want to go back, Father will yell at me and I don’t want to leave Merlin!”

 

By the end of his rant, Arthur was crying, big tears rolling down his face and dripping into the dirt but he didn’t care if Merlin saw him crying. He only wanted to stay where people didn’t treat him differently, he wanted to stay with his friend who had always cared for him and a mother figure that never left him. 

 

“Princess--” Gwaine began, then paused. “Arthur, you’ve done nothing wrong. Merlin, was it? Merlin hasn’t done anything wrong either. We were just worried about where you kipped off to every few weeks, especially because you came back with some wounds last time. Neither of you are in trouble, I promise.” He gave a gentler smile, and Arthur looked at Merlin, who seemed a little calmer. 

 

“You’re the prince?” Merlin asked softly, his eyes still big. Arthur nodded, kicking at a patch of grass on the ground. 

 

“I didn’t tell you because I thought you would treat me different,” he said sullenly. “Everyone does.” Merlin crawled out from under the crates and got to his feet, wobbling slightly. Arthur grabbed his shoulder automatically to keep him from falling. 

 

“You don’t have to worry about that, clotpole,” he grinned, and Arthur sputtered. 

 

“I think I like this kid, Percy,” Gwaine chuckled, straightening. “Arthur, I’m sorry, but we have to take you back to Camelot. The King is returning from his trip a day early and we wanted you to be home safe when he arrived.” Leon nodded solemnly and turned to the courtyard where they had left their horses, a small crowd gathered a few yards away. Arthur nodded and hugged Merlin before following, reaching up to hold Percival’s big hand. 

 

“Where are you going with my boy?”

 

The crowd parted to let Hunith through, a smudge of flour on her cheek and a wisp of hair falling from the bun the rest was pinned in. She wasn’t holding a ladle this time, but her hands were cocked on her hips and she was staring down five of the finest knights in Camelot like they were misbehaving teenagers. Arthur barely suppressed a giggle but Merlin darted towards his mother, wrapping his arms around her skirts. 

 

“Miss, we’re taking Prince Arthur back to Camelot. We wanted to ensure his safety,” Leon explained, and Hunith’s eyes widened. “May I ask your name?”

 

“Hunith,” she said faintly, but then she looked at Arthur with a stern gaze. “This little one has been staying with us a few nights a month for years, but I see now that he does indeed have a home of his own.” Arthur stiffened, his small fingers clenching around Percival’s until Hunith’s face softened and she knelt down, holding her arms open. Arthur ran to her and hugged her, and her arms wrapped around his small body tightly. “You always have a home with us, Arthur,” she said to him, looking him in the eye. “Always. But next time, don’t sneak away. I don’t want you to be in trouble. Just be safe, can you do that for me, dear?”

 

Arthur nodded and buried his face into her neck as Merlin crept around Hunith’s legs to slide an arm around his friend’s torso. Arthur ended up hugging Merlin instead, and the knights fought to hold back snickers as the two young boys refused to let go. Lancelot, ever the gentleman, stepped forward and offered a hand to help Hunith up; she smiled and took it, but Lancelot didn’t drop her hand, and she smiled wider. 

 

“Princess, time to go,” Gwaine called, and Arthur finally released Merlin. He allowed Elyan to lift him onto the front of Percival’s saddle while the big knight mounted behind him. Lancelot kissed Hunith’s hand and mounted his own horse along with the rest, and they turned to leave Ealdor. 

 

“I’ll see you in a few weeks, then?” Merlin suddenly called out, and Arthur looked around at the knights for their reaction. Gwaine couldn’t seem to stop smiling. 

 

“Yes, Merlin. You’ll see Arthur again soon,” he replied, and Arthur cheered. Merlin smiled as Hunith hefted him into her arms, waving excitedly as the knights took off towards Camelot.

**Author's Note:**

> Plot holes I'm ignoring includes Arthur forgetting Merlin's initial fear of the knights, Ealdor definitely not being an hour away, and probably something else that I can't remember because I'm too tired meh


End file.
